Pivoting device for the winding weight of an automatic watch

ABSTRACT

A pivoting device for a winding weight of an automatic watch movement comprising a frame element support with a circular opening, a one piece boss rotatively fit in the circular opening and attached to the winding weight, the boss containing an eccentric stud for driving a winding train.

United States Patent [191 'Gige retal,

ETA ALG. Ebauches-Fabrik,

Grenchen, Switzerland Filed: Jan. 28, 1974 Appl; Non 43 6,921

Assignee:

Foreign Application Priority Data US. Cl. .i.. ..'ss/s2- A, 58/140 RInt. Cl..;.....,..'..... G04b 5/02, G04b 13/02 Field of Search IReferences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,670,591 3/1954 Stamm 5s/s2AFeb; 22, 1973 Switzerland'.,.... .1. 2532/73 Primary Extz'mine r -GeorgeH. Miller,

. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Stevens, Davis, Miller &

Mosher [57] ABSTRACT A pivotingdevice for a wi nding weight of an auto-'matic watch movement comprising a frame'element support withla circularopening, a one piece boss rotatively fit in the Circular openingand-'attached to the winding weight,the boss containingan eccentric studv for drivinga winding train.

r A 6 Cl aims, 2 Drawing Figures 7.

. views.

or AN AUTOMATIC WATCH The support 3is'a frame element which canbefixedto one of the bars of the movement by conventional The present inventionrelates to a pivoting device for i the winding weightof an automaticwatch, one of the parts of which has acylindrical sliding surface andtwoopposed, annular, axial banking surfaces, and the other part of whichconsists of a flat ring disposed around the sliding surface and betweenthe banking surfaces.

A device of this type is described in Swiss Pat.;No. 485,257. It wasdesignedwith the object of providing j a thin device capable of beingset in place on the watch mO\ ement and removed as a unit. In this knowndevice,

. the winding weight has a center aperture into which a ring-shapedwinding weight pinion is fitted.rThis ring carries an inner part :whichconstitutes a second flat ring guided axially between two fixed discsand around a cylindrical interposed part. Thus the pinion is'situated yabove the oscillating-weight support to which the discs and theinterposed part are fixed.

It is the object of the present'invention to simplify the manufacture ofpivoting devices of this type and to reduce their overall axial heightstill further while retaining their advantages. r

To this end, the device according to the invention, of

means. It has a circular opening, the diameter of which is adjusted tothat of the bearing surface 5. In thevicinity of this opening, itsthickness'is reduced so as to'be slightly less than the height of thebearing surface '5. if

ened annular portion 2a of the weight 2, having a thickness equal to theheight of the prolongation 7.

To assemble the device described, the bearing surface 5 of the boss 1 isfirst engaged in the opening of the support 3. Then the'prolongation 7is driven or clinched or'riveted into the aperture 9. Theoscillatingweight support, held between the upper face of the rim 4 andthe lower face of the thick portion 2a of the the typedefined above, ischaracterized. by a one-piece boss having the sliding surface and one ofthe axial annular axial banking surface, the boss constituting the firstmember of the automatic winding train, and the flat ringconstitutingpart of an oscillating-weight support intended to be fixedto the frame of the movement.

Pivoting devic'esfor winding weights are also known weight 2, is thenfixed to the frame of the movement, e'.g. on the train bar. The stud 8then projects between the weight support and the movement so as toensure j 1 the driving of the winding train in a manner-known per 3 se.The lower annular'surface of the thickened portion l of the windingweight, which is a plane surface, is on a level with the top of theshoulder 6 and forms the upper axial banking surface cooperating withthe weight support. Opening out of this surface are holes 10 which aredistributed around the boss and make it possible to lubricat e theslidingjsurfaces of the bearing.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodimentof the pivoting device according to theinvention. This embodiment differs from the first one chiefly in thatthe boss 11 is j connected to the winding weight 12 by a screw 20. The

bossll'has a threaded center aperture 21 in which the screw is engaged.The flattened prolongation 17 serves which include ball bearings. Incertain types of bearings, a boss fixed to the winding weight has aperipheral collar which, together with an upper ring likewise kept .inplace by theboss, constitutes the inner ball-race of l the bearing. Thisdesign is completelydifferent from the one which is the subject of thepresent invention.

The accompanying drawing shows two embodiments of the pivoting deviceaccording to the invention, by way of example. a

FIGS. land 2 of the drawing are axial sectional The pivoting deviceshown in FIG. 1 ensures the pivoting of a winding weight inan'automaticwatch movement. It is composed of three parts a boss 1, abanking 2a, and an oscillating-weight support 3. The banking 2a formspart of the winding weight 2. The boss 1 is a gen- T er-allycylindrical-shaped P Provided with a rim 4 projecting laterally from itslower portion. The upper annular face of the rim 4 forms a first axialbanking surface of the device described. Extending from the inner edgeof this annular surface is'a cylindrical bearing surface 5 which islimited at its upper end by an annular shoulder 6. The boss 1 furtherhas an upper prolongation 7 which extends axially from the inside edgeof the shoulder 6. Because of its simple shape, theboss can be .ever,thisadvantage entails .to center the boss in the center aperture 19 ofthe weight 12. The shoulder 16, the cylindrical bearing surface 15, theprojecting rim 14, and the winding-weight support 13 have the samefunctions as the corresponding parts in the first embodiment. The holes10 likewise serve for the lubrication of the pivoting and bankingsurfaces. However, the means provided here for driving the winding trainconsists of a toothing 18 which is contrived in the outer edge of theprojecting portion 14.

As compared with the first embodiment, the one shown in FIG. 2 has theadvantage that the winding weight can be separated from the weightsupport. l-lowcated manufacture. I

As other variations of the constructions described above, it is alsopossible to conceive of combinations of each of the two modes of drivingdescribed with the fas tening means shown in combination with the other,v

Thus, for instance, the weight 12 of FIG. 2 could also be driven orclinched on the boss 11 as shown in FIG. L

if need be, depending upon the 'material chosen for the boss and thewinding-weight support, it might be advantageous to have theprolongations 7 and 17 made of a different material from the weights 2or 12. The prolongations 7 or 17 would then consist of a detachable flatring.

What is claimed is:

1. A pivoting device for a winding weight of an auto matic watchmovement; comprising a winding weight support having a flat ring shapedportion with a circular opening therein, said support being intended tobe fixed to the frame of said movement, a one-piece boss a somewhat morecompli-' including a cylindrical sliding surface, a first bankingsurface and means for driving a winding train of said movement, andfurtherta member, integral with said winding weight, rigidly secured tosaid boss and including a second banking surface, said second bankingsurface extending opposite said first banking surface, said ring shapedportion extending between said banking surfaces and said circularopening engaging said cylindrical sliding surface.

f 2. A device according to claim 1,'wherein the boss r 4 I 4. Adeviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the boss has a plane annular shoulder anda prolongation projecting above said shouldenfand wherein the'boss' is"fixed to the winding weight in such a way thatsaid pro longation isengaged in an. aperture: in the weight, a

plane annular surface which limits said aperture resting upon saidshoulder. a n

5. A device according to claim 4, wherein the boss'is permanently fixedto .the weight by being driven in or i clinched or riveted r 6. A deviceaccordingto claim 4, wherein the boss is" fixed to the weight by a screwengaged in said prolongation.

1. A pivoting device for a winding weight of an automatic watchmovement, comprising a winding weight support having a flat ring shapedportion with a circular opening therein, said support being intended tobe fixed to the frame of said movement, a onepiece boss including acylindrical sliding surface, a first banking surface and means fordriving a winding train of said movement, and further a member, integralwith said winding weight, rigidly secured to said boss and including asecond banking surface, said second banking surface extending oppositesaid first banking surface, said ring shaped portion exTending betweensaid banking surfaces and said circular opening engaging saidcylindrical sliding surface.
 2. A device according to claim 1, whereinthe boss has an eccentric driving stud projecting from its lower face.3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the boss has a toothingcoaxial with the weight and is intended to drive the winding train.
 4. Adevice according to claim 1, wherein the boss has a plane annularshoulder and a prolongation projecting above said shoulder, and whereinthe boss is fixed to the winding weight in such a way that saidprolongation is engaged in an aperture in the weight, a plane annularsurface which limits said aperture resting upon said shoulder.
 5. Adevice according to claim 4, wherein the boss is permanently fixed tothe weight by being driven in or clinched or riveted.
 6. A deviceaccording to claim 4, wherein the boss is fixed to the weight by a screwengaged in said prolongation.